Lafayette coach is sleeping less, enjoying it more

REINHARD

Lafayette has four victories at the seven-game point of the football season for the first time since 1993. It's no wonder Frank Tavani is sleeping less.

Yep, you read it right. The Leopards have their first two-game winning streak of his tenure and are preparing for a battle for first place Saturday at Fordham.

Still, Tavani, the third-year head coach, says he may feel more self-inflicted pressure now than when the team was at the bottom of the league -- which was not that long ago.

But he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm excited," Tavani said Tuesday. "I don't want to go to sleep and I can't wait to wake up. It's a great situation."

That may be easy for him to say, but the life of a collegiate head coach who wants to win -- and that extends to all coaches in the Patriot League and beyond -- leaves little time for anything but football in some form.

Unless it's an emergency involving one of the four Tavani children, Agnes, Frank's wife, "is on her own, and it's been that way for a long while," Tavani said.

Liam and Meghan are both students at Lafayette; Danny and Bridget are still at home. But, at least during the football season, there is no such thing as a family dinner.

"At least, not with me around," Tavani said.

What about Sunday? Surely, the day after a game can be one of rest.

Well, there's the previous day's game film to review, a practice, including showing the players and coaches the film, and throughout the day, preparation, preparation, preparation.

"Sunday can be the longest day," Tavani said.

Danny is a senior at Notre Dame-Green Pond. He's having a great final football season, but Tavani says he won't see any more games.

The household is still asleep when Tavani leaves in the morning and is sleeping again when he returns at night. So, the member of the family who sees him the most is Zach, the golden retriever.

A work day that may have begun before 7 a.m. wraps up between 10:30 p.m. and midnight.

"I'm pretty relaxed during the day," Tavani said. "It's when you get home and you think you'll just sit and go to sleep. Then everything just kind of works on your mind."

He carries a tape recorder at all times. And whether he's in bed or on the couch, the recorder is always within reach.

Whenever he has a thought, he finds it easier to speak about it than to write it down. And, he says, it can be eye-opening to listen to that tape at the end of the day -- even to him.

The combination of the stress of the job, long hours and an irregular eating routine can be brutal. Tavani has found a way to deal with that.

He sleeps "about four hours a night," and runs three to four miles a day on a treadmill -- sometimes at 6:30 a.m., but more often around 2 p.m. in the college wellness center "when it isn't too crowded so I don't have to embarrass myself in front of anybody who's really in shape."

A torn calf muscle and a knee problem curtailed his summer running. Since the start of the season, daily runs have relaxed him and he hasn't eaten much, so he has been able to drop some weight.

"And the lighter I am, the less sleep I need," he said.

The efforts of Tavani and his staff are not going unnoticed. People who he thought couldn't care less about the team are speaking to him. And they know what's going on!

So he will continue on his present course.

"There are sacrifices that have to be made for such a great job," he said. "The family suffers some, but my kids are getting a great education and the quality of life we've had because of this is great."